Art of deriving energy from the direct combustion of fuel.



PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

0. A. 'MEZGER. ART or DBRIVING ENERGY FROM THE DIRECT COMBUSTION 0P FUEL.

APPLIOATIOHI FILED M119, 1902.

A TTOHNE Y mum mm. In!" uvm. lunuum. o

UNITED sTArns arEN-T OFFICE.

l'HA RLES A. MEZUEH. HI-"NEW YORK. X. Y.

ARI" OF DERllVIN G ENERiGY FROM THE DIRECT COMBUSTION OF FUEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

' Application filed April 19. 902. Serial No. 103.738.

To all who/ 1 it mrzycontwn:

1 ('lintonstreet. in the county of liings. city vand State of New York. have invented new and useful Improvements in the .{art of Deriving Energy row the Dll'QtfELUlllbUSlflOIl of Fuel. of which the following is a specification. I

.T he process is best adapted to the use of hydrocarbon oils as fuel. but other fuels both' liquid and solid maybe employed.

, Theinvention resides" primarily-in an improvement'in the art of deriving energy directly from the combustion-of fuel consisting substantially in the following successive acts, to wit first. heating a non-gaseous fuel, preferaihly a liquid fuel,by fire or other means ot-involving compression, to adegreejsufticlient to transform such fuel into a gas devoid or substantiallydevoid ofoxygen and carrying the temperature to a point sufficientto cause the gas to burn spgntaiiipusly' upon supplying oxygen and in maintaining constantly a body of such gas heated to said temperature; sec-0nd, in'withdrawing'a portion of said body of gas heated to said temperature and bringing about association thereof withvoxygen or air, whereby spontaneously to ignite and burn the gas; and, third. in permitting the ases of combustion to expand thereby deriving energy from the force of expansion.

The invention resides in certain other steps pr acts subseryient to the primary principle above expressed, and all. of which will be fully set forth hereinafter.

I will now proceed to set forth in detail one manner in which my improvement in the art may be practically em loyed, which is to say to drive the piston of an ordinary cylinder engine. referring meanwhile .to' the accomanying diagram forming part of this specication.

The diagram shows an engine cylinder, and the piston therein. A retort should be provided in which to heatthe fuel by means of a burner, as shown in the diagram, or by the exhaust gases from the cylinder. As will be understood. the retort should be fitted with an air venting device, pump and other provided burner or it may be the heat of the flame of the burning exhaust gases from the necessary or similar accessories (not'shown) by which to control the movement of the oil. The cylinder is provided with a fuel inlet valve controlling the retort communication with the cylinder, and also with an air inlet tort.

the piston moved bac 'haust ases, whereupon the cycle of operavalve controlling atmospheric communication with the cylinder, and an exhaust valve controlling the outlet for the burned gases.

A liquid fuel is introduced into the retort and heated therein to transform it into a gas, all air being removed from the retort by venting it, or otherwise, and the said heat at the retort is carried to a degree sufficient to cause the gasto ignite and burn spontaneously upon supplying oxygen thereto. A more or less constant body of this fuel should be -maintained in the retort devoid of oxygen, and with a-temperat-ure sufficient to cause the fuel spontaneously -to ignite and burn up'on bringing it into association with oxygen. The air valve is then opened and the piston is moved down to draw into the cylinder a body of atmospheric air the air valve is closed and the piston is moved back to compress the air in the cylinder. This compression may be carried to any. desired degree, but it should be to a degree less than the pressure of the highly heated gas in there- The fuel inlet valve is next opened, and a minor portion of the highly heated fuel therein is allowed by its inherent pressure to pass into the cylinder against the ressure of the air therein. The fuel inlet va ve is then closed and the fuel u on association with the oxygen of the air in the cylinder and aided by the heat of compression therein immediately ignites and burns, and ex ands against the iston forcing it down an thus doing worklhe exhaust valve ma Y then be opened, and

l; to force outthe extion w' lbe com leted.

It will be ol served from the foregoing description that an apparatus operated as above described to practice my improvement in the artwill perform what is technicallv known as a four cycle operation.

I would point out, however, that this is by I no means essential since the air and fuel could be simultaneously entered in thecyjins der, nor is it essential t-o my invention that the air becompressed. The heatnecessary to raise the temperatnreof the fuel may be supplied in any manner. This heat is preferably that of flame, and it may be either the flame of combustion of a separate or specially cylinder. However the heat may be from 10 perature to cause it to spontaneously upon association with oxygen, I attain the great commercial advantage of deriving energy from the direct combustion of fn without the necessity of the great negative action incident, for example, to the well' known Diesel cycle. In t e practfcal employmentof my process I may derive the necessary heat from the waste heat ofthe cylinder of the apparatus used to carry out the process, thus not only avoiding the loss of power incident to transfroinin the engine into a pump, but actually ut" to the most etlicient ends the heat which 18 otherwise lost by radiation and dissipation into the atmosphere.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to-secure by Letters Patent:--

l. The method of deriyin ene directly from the combustion of fue, vvhic consists, first, in heating by fire a non-gaseous fuel devoid of oxygen to a temperature sufficientto transform the fuel into a gas and raise the temperature of the gas sufliciently to cause the gas to burn spontaneously upon sup lying oxygen, and in maintaining constant y a quantity of said gas heated to said temperature, second, in withdrawing a minor portion of said quantity of gas heated to said temperature, third, in bringing said minor portion of said gas heated to said temperature into associat on with ox taneously to ignite an 7, urn the gas, and, fourth, in perm'itt' the gases of combustion to expand thereby eriving energy from the force of expansion. t

2. The method of derivin ener y directly.

from the combustion of fue which consists,

.cient to cause the gen, whereby sponseeps;

fir-shin heating by fire a liquid fuel devoid of oxy n to a temperature sufficient to transform t a. liquid fuel into a gas, and to raise the temperature of said gas to a degree sulfias to ignite and burn spontaneously ,upon ringing it into association with t(:zg'en and in maintammg' constantly a y of such gas heated to such tern portion of said body of heated to said temperature, and causing it to associate with oxygen, whereby spontaneously to ignite and burn the gas, and, third, in rmitting the gases of combustion to expand, thereby deriv' energy from thefo'rce of expansion.

3. hemethod of derivin sner directly from the combustion of his whic consists, first, in heating by fire a liquid fuel devoid of oxygen and separately heating by com ression, air devoid of fuel and carrying such eating of fueland air to a oint at which the liquid fuel is transforme into a gas and the combined temperatures of the air and gas are sufficient to cause the fuel spontaneously to ignite and burn upon associatin it with the air and in maintamin constant y a body of such gas heated to sue temperature, second,

in associating a minor portion of the gas with the air to bring about ignition and combustion of the gas, and third, in permitting the gases of combustion to expand thereby deriving energy from the force of expansion-1' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,

CHARLES A. MEZGER. Witnesses:

Gannon W. Ban'rnou',

A. W. CLARKE.

rature, second, inwithdrawing a minor 

